A surgical system typically has a large and complex set of inter-operating components, each contributing to the proper operation of the system. For example, an exemplary ophthalmic laser system is shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, which includes a number of electronic and mechanical parts. FIG. 1a is a perspective view of the exemplary ophthalmic laser system. In this example, a user interface and terminal 31 provides for data input into a CPU (not shown) of desired focal values for the laser. The system further includes an emergency shut off switch 32, disk drive 33 key switch 34, beam delivery device 35, operating microscope 36, control panel 37, and a loading deck 38 for interface with an eye-stabilizing device.
Referring to FIG. 1b, a block diagram of the exemplary ophthalmic laser system of FIG. 1a is shown. A laser source 41 is directed through a beam delivery device into a z-scanning objective lens 43 via path 22. A display 42 is provided for viewing the eye undergoing laser treatment. In general, the operation of the system may be in accordance with the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,233, which is incorporated herein in entirety by reference.
Another complex surgical system is a phacoemulsification system, which removes the lens of an eye (e.g., following impairment by cataract). Turning to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a phacoemulsification system 100 known in the art is shown. The system 100 includes a control unit 102 and a handpiece 104 operably coupled together. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the handpiece 104. As shown in FIG. 3, the handpiece 104 includes a needle 106 for insertion into an eye E and a vibrating unit 108 that is configured to ultrasonically vibrate the needle 106. The vibrating unit 108, which may operate using a piezoelectric crystal, for example, vibrates the needle 106 based on one or more parameters, such as frequency, pulse width, shape, size, duty cycle, amplitude, and so on.
The phacoemulsification system 100 includes a microprocessor computer 110 that is operably connected to and controls a number of other elements of the system 100. In some embodiments, the system 100 includes a variable speed pump 112 (e.g., a peristaltic and/or venturi pump, and the like) to provide a vacuum source, a pulsed ultrasonic power source 114, a pump speed controller 16, and an ultrasonic power level controller 118. A vacuum sensor 120 provides an input signal to the computer 110 representing the vacuum level on the output side of the pump 112. Venting may be provided by a vent 122. The system 100 may also include a phase detector 124 to provide an input to the computer 100 that represents a phase shift between a sine wave representation of the voltage applied to the handpiece 104 and the resultant current into the handpiece 104. The functional representation of the system 100 also includes a system bus 126 that enables the various elements to operably communicate with each other.
In operation, the control unit 102 supplies ultrasonic power to the phacoemulsification handpiece 104. An irrigation fluid source 128 provides irrigation fluid to the handpiece 104. The irrigation fluid and an ultrasonic pulse are applied by the handpiece 104 to a patient's eye E, which are indicated by arrows F and P, respectively. Aspiration of the eye E is achieved by the pump 112, which is indicated by arrow A. The handpiece 104 may include a switch 130 for enabling a surgeon to select an amplitude of electrical pulses to the handpiece 104 via the computer 110, the power level controller 118, and the ultrasonic power source 114. The operation of the system 100 in general may be in accordance with the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,948, which is incorporated herein in entirety by reference.
For any of these systems, a failure of any one of these components could disable the operation of the entire system. However, fail-safe mechanisms are typically deployed with these systems to de-activate the corresponding component(s) and/or indicate a service alert in the event an improper operating status is detected. In response to the alert, a service technician is dispatched to diagnose the system. However, contacting the technician and waiting for the technician to arrive generally increases system downtime, prevents treatment of patients, and substantially increases costs to the system owner. One approach has been to provide preventative maintenance on a scheduled routine basis. This, however can create unnecessary service visits, particularly when the preventative maintenance schedule does not correlate with actual system performance and needs. Moreover, once one or more components, or the entire system, have been de-activated, the accessible information is generally insufficient for proper diagnosis. Accordingly, improved systems and methods for diagnosing and supporting surgical systems to reduce system downtime are desirable.